Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Retaining Wall Employing Reinforcement Rods

Abstract

Disclosed are embodiments of a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall that employs one or more reinforcement rods, such as rebar, and that can be produced with inexpensive, widely available parts. A concrete panel is provided. A steel embed is provided with an embed loop and with first and second outwardly extending stems having aligned embed apertures. The loop is secured within the concrete panel. A steel reinforcement rod is provided with a generally cylindrical elongated body with first and second ends. The first end resides within backfill soil, and the second end has a rod loop, preferably created by reshaping the end of the reinforcement rod. A steel fastener extends through the embed apertures and the rod loop to thereby secure together the reinforcement rod and the embed.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to modular earth retaining walls, and more particularly, to mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modular earth retaining walls with concrete panels are commonly used for architectural and site development applications. Such walls are subjected to very high pressures exerted by lateral movements of the soil, temperature and shrinkage effects, and seismic loads.

In many commercial applications, for example, along or supporting highways, etc., each concrete panel can weigh between two and five thousand pounds and have a front elevational size of about eight feet in width by about five feet four inches in height.

Oftentimes, the earth retaining walls of this type are reinforced. More specifically, a conventional mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall with steel reinforcement is typically reinforced with steel strips or welded wire meshes that extends backward, or perpendicular, from the rear of a concrete panel to reinforce the backfill soil.

The inventor of the present application filed a patent application Ser. No. 17/380,697 on Jul. 20, 2023, with a design for an MSE retaining wall with reinforcement rods having spaced pullout inhibiting structures (e.g., round planar disks), which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirely. Although this design tested well in field tests and had significant merit, it undesirably employed specially made parts that resulted in high cost as well as difficulty in terms of installation.

Some of the significant challenges in this field of design are the cost and design complexity that oftentimes requires specially made parts that are not readily available and/or expensive. That is the focus of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides various embodiments of an inexpensive and effective mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall that employ, for reinforcement, cylindrical rods (preferably, widely available rebar).

One embodiment, among others, can be summarized as follows. A concrete panel is provided. A steel embed is provided with an embed loop and with first and second outwardly extending stems having aligned embed apertures. The embed loop is secured within the concrete panel. A steel reinforcement rod, for example, rebar, is provided with a generally cylindrical elongated body with first and second ends. The first end resides within backfill soil, and the second end has a rod loop, preferably created by reshaping the end of the reinforcement rod. A steel fastener, for example, a bolt, extends through the apertures and the loop to thereby secure together the reinforcement rod and the embed.

Another embodiment, among others, is an MSE retaining wall. The MSE retaining wall has a concrete panel. The panel has a generally planar body with a frontside, a backside, and a surrounding peripheral edge.

A steel embed is provided and has first and second parts. The first part resides and is secured within the concrete panel. The second part extends outwardly from the backside. The first part of the embed has a steel embed loop. The second part has first and second stems secured to and extending in a linear manner outwardly from the steel loop. Each of the stems has opposing first and second generally flat sides extending between first and second edges and has first and second apertures. The first side of the first stem is contiguous with the second side of the second stem. Moreover, the first and second apertures are substantially aligned.

A steel reinforcement rebar rod is further provided and has a generally cylindrical elongated body with first and second ends. The first end residing within backfill soil. The second end has a rod loop.

A steel bolt extends through the embed first and second apertures and the rod loop. The bolt is secured with a nu. The combination of the bolt and nut secures together the rebar rod and the embed.

Other embodiments, apparatus, systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional embodiments, apparatus, systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The dimensions indicated in some of the figures are associated with a nonlimiting examples of an embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall employing one or more wall panels and one or more reinforcement rods in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side cross sectional view of the wall of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a side view of a widely available embed of FIG. 1 designed to attach a wall panel of the wall to a reinforcement rod.

FIG. 3B is a top view of the embed of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is s side view of the reinforcement rod of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the connection system using the reinforcement rod of FIG. 4 in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall 10 employing one or more modular concrete wall panels 12 and one or more elongated cylindrical steel reinforcement rods 14 in accordance with the present invention. The wall 10 can be produced with inexpensive, widely available parts and will have a lifespan of at least one hundred years, as is required by regulations in most governmental jurisdictions.

As illustrated, the concrete wall panel 12 has a generally planar body with a frontside, a backside, and a surrounding peripheral edge.

The reinforcement rod 14 has a longitudinal body with first and second ends with the first end residing within the backfill soil and the second end being secured within a wall panel 12. The second end is secured within the wall panel 12 when the wall panel 12 is cast, or formed. Although not required, each rod 14 preferably comprises raised ribs along its longitudinal body. In the preferred embodiment, each rod 14 is standard rebar, which is inexpensive and widely available.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a steel embed 16 is used to connect the panel 12 to a reinforcement rod 14. Each embed 16 has interconnected first and second parts 16a, 16b. The first part 16a is secured to and within the concrete panel 12. The second part 16b extends outwardly from the backside of the wall panel 12. The second part 16b has an aperture 18, which is preferably although not necessarily circular. The aperture 18 has a central axis that extends generally parallel to the backside of the panel 12.

In the preferred embodiment, the first part 16a of the embed 16 is a triangular-shaped steel embed loop 19, and the second part 16b comprises first and second stems 21a, 21b secured to and extending in a linear manner outwardly from the steel embed loop 19. Each of the stems 21a, 21b has opposing first and second generally flat sides extending between first and second edges and having the circular embed aperture 18. The first side of the first stem 21a being contiguous with the second side of the second stem 21b. Moreover, the circular apertures 18 of the stems 21a, 21b are substantially aligned with each other. Furthermore, because the first and second stems 21a, 21b are contiguous (with no separation), no concrete gets in between them when concrete is poured to cast the panel 12.

In this preferred embodiment, the embed loop 19 and stems 21a, 21b are formed from a singular elongated steel plate having opposing first and second generally flat sides extending between left and right edges and first and second ends. The loop 19 is triangular in shape. The first and second stems are formed by respective longitudinal parts near the first and second ends of the steel plate. The widely available embed 16 is machine produced in mass and readily available for flat plate steel strips and/or welded wire mesh, which are commonly used with MSE wall structures.

FIG. 5 illustrates a connection system 32 of the present disclosure. The connection system 32 is designed to secure together the embed 16 and the reinforcement rod 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the reinforcement rod 14 is provided with a loop 35, preferably, although not necessarily circular in shape, at its end by forging or forming to reshape the end of the rebar reinforcement rod 14. As nonlimiting examples, the steel rod 14 can be forged with blows or by forming using mechanical pressure to allow the loop 35 to accept a bolt for connection to the embed 16. The phantom lines 14′ of FIG. 4 show how the end of the reinforcement rod 14 has been reshaped from its original linear configuration to form the loop 35.

A fastener 36 extends through the apertures 18, 35 to thereby secure together the rod 14 and the embed 16. In the preferred embodiment, the fastener 36 is a threaded steel bolt with a threaded elongated body, a head, and a distal end that receives a threaded steel nut 38. Other fasteners are possible.

Finally, it should be emphasized that the above-described embodiment(s) of the present invention is merely a possible nonlimiting example of an implementation, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) of the invention without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the invention. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present invention.

As an example of an alternative embodiment, the apertures 18 and 35 could be octogonal, square, etc.

As another example of an alternative embodiment, the embed 16 may have only a single stem extending from the loop 19.

As yet another example of an alternative embodiment, the loop 19 of the embed 16 could have a different shape, for example, T-shaped, circular, irregular, partial loop, linear, non-symmetrical, etc.

Claims

1. A mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall, the wall comprising: a concrete panel, the panel having a generally planar body with a frontside, a backside, and a surrounding peripheral edge;a steel embed having first and second parts, the first part residing and secured within the concrete panel, the second part extending outwardly from the backside, the second part having an embed aperture;a steel reinforcement rod, the rod having a generally cylindrical elongated body with first and second ends, the first end residing within backfill soil, the second end having a rod loop; anda steel fastener extending through the embed aperture and the rod loop to thereby secure together the reinforcement rod and the embed.

2. The wall of claim 1, wherein the rod loop is formed from a reshaped end part of the reinforcement rod.

3. The wall of claim 1, wherein the rod loop is generally circular and wherein the fastener is a steel threaded bolt having a generally cylindrical elongated body with first and second ends, the first end having a bolt head, the second end having a steel bolt and nut that is threaded thereon.

4. The wall of claim 1, wherein the steel reinforcement rod comprises a plurality of raised ribs along its elongated body.

5. The wall of claim 4, wherein the steel reinforcement rod is rebar.

6. The wall of claim 1, wherein the embed aperture has a central axis that extends generally parallel to the backside of the panel.

7. The wall of claim 1, wherein the first part of the embed is a steel loop and the second part comprises first and second stems secured to and extending in a linear manner outwardly from the steel loop, each of the stems having opposing first and second generally flat sides extending between first and second edges and having first and second apertures, the first side of the first stem being contiguous with the second side of the second stem, the first and second apertures being substantially aligned to create the embed aperture.

8. The wall of claim 7, wherein the embed loop is generally triangular.

9. A system for connecting a concrete panel associated with a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall with a steel reinforcement rod that extends into backfill soil, the system comprising: a steel embed having first and second parts, the first part residing and secured within the concrete panel, the second part extending outwardly from the backside, the second part having an embed aperture;a steel reinforcement rod, the rod having a generally cylindrical elongated body with first and second ends, the first end residing within backfill soil, the second end having a rod loop; anda steel fastener extending through the embed aperture and the rod loop to thereby secure together the connector plate and the embed.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the rod loop is formed from a reshaped end part of the reinforcement rod.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the rod loop is generally circular and wherein the fastener is a steel threaded bolt having a generally cylindrical elongated body with first and second ends, the first end having a bolt head, the second end having a steel bolt and nut that is threaded thereon.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the steel reinforcement rod comprises a plurality of raised ribs along its elongated body.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the steel reinforcement rod is rebar.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the embed aperture has a central axis that extends generally parallel to the backside of the panel.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the first part of the embed is a steel loop and the second part comprises first and second stems secured to and extending in a linear manner outwardly from the steel loop, each of the stems having opposing first and second generally flat sides extending between first and second edges and having first and second apertures, the first side of the first stem being contiguous with the second side of the second stem, the first and second apertures being substantially aligned to create the embed aperture.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the embed loop is triangular.

17. A mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall comprising the system of claim 9.

18. A mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall, the wall comprising: a concrete panel, the panel having a generally planar body with a frontside, a backside, and a surrounding peripheral edge;a steel embed having first and second parts, the first part residing and secured within the concrete panel, the second part extending outwardly from the backside, the first part of the embed being a steel embed loop, the second part comprising first and second stems secured to and extending in a linear manner outwardly from the steel loop, each of the stems having opposing first and second generally flat sides extending between first and second edges and having first and second apertures, the first side of the first stem being contiguous with the second side of the second stem, the first and second apertures being substantially aligned;a steel reinforcement rebar rod, the rebar rod having a generally cylindrical elongated body with first and second ends, the first end residing within backfill soil, the second end having a rod loop; anda steel bolt extending through the embed first and second apertures and the rod loop, the bolt secured by a nut, the bolt and the nut securing together the rebar rod and the embed.

19. The wall of claim 18, wherein the rod loop is formed from a reshaped end part of the reinforcement rebar rod.

20. The wall of claim 18, wherein the embed is triangular in shape.